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Grading 49ers Actions in First Round of Free Agency

By Jerod Brown

Feb 24, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke speaks to the media during the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 24, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke speaks to the media during the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 19, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; San Francisco 49ers guard Alex Boone (75) during the game against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 19, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; San Francisco 49ers guard Alex Boone (75) during the game against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /

Free-Agent Guard Alex Boone Signs With Minnesota

At first blush, you might be thinking, “What does this have to do with how the 49ers are performing in free agency?”

That’s an excellent question. Well, Boone was arguably the 49ers second-best lineman in 2015 and has been one of the remaining pieces from the offensive line that led the team to the Super Bowl just a few years ago.

The 49ers have dealt with the loss of free-agent guards before. Most recently, former-guard Mike Iupati signed with the Arizona Cardinals in the last offseason. The 49ers, quite simply, do not invest large amounts of money in the interior offensive line positions. As a consequence, they’ve watched two of their guards leave the team in back-to-back years to become some of the highest paid guards in the league.

The 49ers likely weren’t interested in re-signing Boone at a price tag that high. There’s also been growing discontent between Boone and the team, as he’s felt devalued as a player. The fact that Boone opted to sign elsewhere is no surprise at all.

Unfortunately, the 49ers are left to replace one of the best players on an offensive line that was not very good in 2015. As of now, the possible replacements are Andrew Tiller–who may start at one guard spot already–as well as Brandon Thomas, Marcus Martin and soon-to-return Anthony Davis. Needless to say, the loss of Boone was the first major impact the 49ers suffered once free agency began.

With the 49ers reported interest in free-agent guard Ted Larsen, it is clear that the team recognizes a need to address the guard position. They could choose to do so in both free agency and the draft. Particularly, former New York Giants guard Geoff Schwartz is still an available free agent and was recently ranked by Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller as a top-10 right guard in the NFL.

In the draft, the 49ers could look to replace Boone with Arizona State guard Christian Westerman or Stanford’s Joshua Garnett. Both could come in and compete to start immediately. However they choose to do so, the 49ers will need to sign or draft at least one more guard before entering training camp.

Although letting Boone walk leaves a hole on the line, it was clearly the best move for both parties. The positive and negative aspects of the non-move balance one another out and create a relatively average grade for the 49ers performance in free agency.

Grade:C-

Next: Replacing Colin Kaepernick